


I'll Love You to the End of the Galaxy

by Rachello344



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Divergent after the end of Season 2, Hunk (Voltron)-centric, Lotor loves Hunk's cooking, Love at First Sight, M/M, Math Geek Hunk, Shiro didn't vanish and Lotor is not quite canon compliant, Shiro is still Black Paladin, Slow Burn, Space Casanova Hunk, background Lance/Allura (one-sided), that's what I get for writing before he appeared officially
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2018-10-19 04:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10632201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachello344/pseuds/Rachello344
Summary: Hunk and Lotor meet on an asteroid during a solar storm.  Not knowing each other's names, they share a meal together while they wait for the storm to pass.  Lotor falls in love at once; Hunk is understandably more reluctant.  Lotor knows that he'll be able to convince him eventually.  All good courtships take time, after all.





	1. (In-)Auspicious Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this for a friend, because the thought of Lotor falling head over heels for Hunk was just too good a chance to pass up. And besides, Hunk needs more love than this fandom is giving him. I hope you guys like it! If you do, consider leaving a comment! I'd love to hear from people. 8)

Hunk sighed as he looked off into the asteroid belt.  One minute.  He needed them to wait _one minute_ to take him to his lion.  He set his bag down and sighed again.  His comms crackled.

“ _—nk, Hunk, can you read me?”_   Pidge’s voice was muffled and distorted, but unmistakable.

“I read you.”  Hunk frowned at the weird color the local sun was giving off.  Was that some kind of storm?  “What’s your ETA?”

“ _A lot more than a tick.  I’m sorry, but with that storm, I can’t come get you and your lion.  It seems like the electricity is messing with them.  Yours is reading as out of commission, probably until the storm passes.”_

“Will _I_ be okay?” Hunk asked, grimacing.  He pressed one fist to his sternum.  “Pidge, that storm won’t _kill_ me, right?  It’s just the lions that are affected?”

Hunk waited for a response.  And waited.

And waited.

Static.

“Great, _just_ great.  First my ride, then my _comms_ , and now I’m gonna die here on an asteroid in the middle of nowhere!”  He kicked a stone, stubbing his toe in the process.  Just his luck.

As he was considering sitting down to wait it out (hopping on one foot and clutching the injured one), he heard a long string of what he thought might be cursing coming from the other side of a large outcropping of rock.  He hesitated.  It didn’t sound… directly threatening.

He released his foot and started to bite his thumbnail.  Lance would go over and introduce himself.  And if the alien was feminine, he’d flirt.  The problem would be solved eventually, though Hunk was usually the one who actually tried first.

And they all wanted him to open up more.  _Be more trusting!  Not everyone is out to get you!  Give them the benefit of the doubt!_

Hunk heaved a sigh and shouldered his bag again.  He would give whoever it was the benefit of the doubt like they all wanted.  If he was right not to trust anyone, he could rub it in when he got back.  If he got back.  He shook his head, trying to focus.

When he rounded the outcropping, he tried to understand what he was looking at.  There was a fire, thanks to the oxygen-rich atmosphere of the asteroids they were on.  There was an alien standing over the fire with something that resembled a frying pan, except for all the ways in which it was clearly not a frying pan.  The alien seemed to be trying to cook.

Hunk took another step forward, his boot scraping against a rock, making a sound.  The alien spun around.

He was about Hunk’s height, maybe a little shorter.  He was wearing a uniform of some kind, something fancy Hunk had never seen before.  He was also, most importantly, Galran.  Large feline ears, yellow eyes, purple fur.  Classic Galra.

They looked at each other for a long time, neither saying anything.  Hunk considered running.  There was no guarantee that this man knew who he was, but there was no guarantee he didn’t.  He could be working with the rebellion, or the empire, or just a citizen.  Hunk knew nothing about him, except that he was Galran and a poor cook.

He should run.  But that would make him look guilty if he didn’t know.  So he should stay, but it could be a trap to incapacitate Voltron.  So he should—

“Do you know how to cook over a fire?”  Hunk startled at the interruption.  “It’s only that—well, I was never the camping type, you see.  I can cook over a stove without much difficulty, but…”  He looked down at the fire, frustrated and hopeless.

Hunk could feel himself give in.  He didn’t seem like a bad person at first glance.  And not all Galras were evil.  He liked Keith most of the time, and that Galra commander had saved their lives twice, once at the cost of his own.  He put on a smile and rolled up his sleeves.

“Hand me that, would you?  I think you’re holding it wrong.”

The man frowned, but did as he was asked.  “You think?”

“Well, I’ve never used one of these, exactly, but my planet has a similar tool.  I think.  They seem to function the same way, anyway.  We’ll see.”  Hunk glanced down at the contents of the pan.  He grimaced.  “Do you have any spices?”

“What?”

“This is going to taste really bland, whatever it is.  What supplies do you have?”

The man took everything out of his bag, one thing at a time, and held them up for Hunk’s consideration.  Hunk added a few things to the pan, and threw in his own spices from the local outpost’s marketplace.

All the while, they chatted about nothing in particular.  This and that, things they’d seen in the area, the types of people they’d met.  They skirted anything that might say too much and stuck to little things.  The guy was pretty funny, and he laughed at Hunk’s puns as if they were hilarious and not absurdly lame.  Hunk’s smile felt a lot easier than it had at the beginning.

He hoped he was one of the good ones.  He kind of liked him.

Finally, Hunk declared the meal complete.  He pulled the pan thing off the fire and glanced over his shoulder at his dinner companion.  “Do you have anything to eat off of?”

The man beamed.  “I have plates and cutlery.”

Everything was served up without any incident.  Hunk took his first bite, closing his eyes to consider the flavor.  Pretty good.  A little too much of the spice probably.  He’d have to remember how potent it was for next time.

When he opened his eyes, the Galra was looking at his plate like he’d just discovered some incredible secret of the universe.  He took another bite and another.  He looked like he was having a religious experience.  He kept eating, eyes never leaving the plate.  Hunk was about to ask if he was okay when his head shot up and his glowing eyes locked onto Hunk’s.

“This is the best meal I’ve ever had,” he said, earnest and intense.  “You’re the best chef I’ve ever met.  You made this out of some of the cheapest ingredients I’ve seen.”

Hunk smiled with an equal mix of discomfort and pride.  His cheeks felt a little warm.  He’d never been the subject of that kind of gaze before, powerful and just shy of too much.  “Thank you?  I like to cook, so I’m used to experimenting with foods I don’t recognize.”

“Wait,” the man frowned, “you didn’t know what you were cooking with?”

Hunk shook his head.  “I usually don’t.  Like I said, I experiment a lot.  I’m something of a gourmet.”

The man seemed to melt, eyes going soft and warm, his posture going lax.  He sighed.  “You’re a dream come true.  The perfect man.”

Hunk laughed, startled.  “What?”

“You’re funny, handsome, a great chef—you helped me even though you have no idea who I am.  You’re the best chef—no, the best person I’ve ever met.”  He nodded to himself as if coming to a decision.  “Do you need a job?”

“Do I—What?”

“Do you need a job?  I’m in the market for a new chef.  My current chef just can’t compare.”

“Oh, wow, I’m—I’m flattered, but I already have a job.  It’s kind of important, but I really appreciate the offer.”  Hunk smiled, scratching the back of his head.

“You really don’t know who I am, do you,” the man said.  He looked inexplicably fond and amused.  “How cute.  Yes, I’m definitely going to keep you.”

Hunk felt dread settle at the pit of his stomach.  “Excuse me?”

The man smiled, slow and threatening.  “You heard me.  I phrased it as a job offer, but I should be clear.  That was my mistake.  You’re going to come home with me and become my personal chef.  I won’t allow you to refuse me.”  He laughed a little, like the thought of a refusal was completely ridiculous, silly even.  “Now, eat up.  The storm should be dying down, so I’ll call my men here shortly.  And then we can go home.”

Hunk stood slowly, frowning.  “My home isn’t with you.  My friends are going to pick me up, and then I will go home with them.  It was fun talking with you, and I’m glad you liked my food, but I have a job to do.  I won’t be leaving with you.”

The man’s eyes narrowed.  He looked more and more dangerous by the minute.  Hunk began to consider his options, running through different escape plans when he _felt_ his lion come back into commission.  Before he could say or do anything, he could feel it coming to him.

“ _Hunk, do you read?”_

Hunk backed away.  “I read you.  My ride is on its way?”

“ _Sure is, buddy,”_ Lance said brightly.  “ _You okay?  You sound a little stressed._ ”

“That’s because I am,” Hunk said.  The man was still watching him.  He looked angry.

“Is that your _friend_?” he spat.

“One of them,” Hunk agreed.  “It’s been… fun, but I’m afraid I have to leave now.  Thanks for the food.”  Hunk scooped his bag up and started to run.  He was a little surprised that the man let him go without pursuing him, but Hunk decided not to think about that.  Run first, ask questions later.

By the time he was in his lion safe and sound, he felt _drained_.  As he flew away, he felt like he could sense the man still looking at him.  He shivered.  The _one time_ he trusts someone and they turn out to be some kind of high level empire Galra intent on—on _keeping_ him, whatever that meant.

He was never going to trust a stranger ever again.


	2. The Courtship Begins

It was what passed for several weeks later by the time they had their next run in with the empire.  As the battle commenced, each lion still separate, Hunk couldn’t help but notice that none of the enemies were firing at him.

“Um, Hunk?  Any ideas why they aren’t attacking you?” Shiro asked, voice hesitant.

“None.  Is there something wrong with me?  Am I still visible?  Do I exist?” Hunk babbled.  “I don’t know whether to be pleased that they aren’t trying to kill me, or offended that they don’t seem to consider me a threat.”

“I’d go with offended,” Pidge offered dryly.  “It’ll make you more aggressive.”

“So, everyone hide behind Hunk?” Keith didn’t sound sure of the suggestion.

Hunk sighed.  “Yeah, might as well use this, whatever this is.”

The battle went well, more or less.  They pulled through victorious and even managed to capture one of the Galra for questioning.

When they were all back at the castle and their prisoner was conscious again, Shiro and Allura stood front and center, both radiating power and intimidation.  Hunk almost felt bad for the guy.

They asked the usual slew of questions—why are you here, what do you want, who is your leader—but the man refused to answer anything.  Finally, Shiro asked, “Well, maybe you’ll answer this.  Why wouldn’t any of you hit the yellow lion?”

The man flinched, a full body shudder rolling through him and fluffing up the fur on his neck and ears.  “We were following orders.”

“Orders from _whom_?” Allura snapped.

“The highest authority.”

Shiro closed his eyes, breathing deeply.  “Which would be…?”

The man sighed.  “If I answer your questions, will you drop me on a planet somewhere away from everything?”

“What?  Why?” Allura asked, frowning.  “It’s certainly possible, but won’t you just get back in touch with the fleet anyway?”

He shuddered again.  “Working for Zarkon was one thing, but his son is… different.  I’d rather bide my time for his father to return.”  The man sighed again, slumping in his restraints.  “His majesty is obsessed with the Yellow Paladin.  We don’t know why, but he won’t allow any harm to come to him.  The rest of you are, of course, fair game, but we’re forbidden from laying a finger on Yellow.”

Everyone turned to look at Hunk.  Hunk frowned at the Galra.

“Why me?  I’ve never met a prince before, let alone a Galran prince.”  Hunk pursed his lips, thinking back.  He hadn’t even met any Galra lately…  Except…  “Oh.  _Oh_.  Guys, I think I know when it was.  I cooked for a Galra on that asteroid during the solar storm.  He seemed to be pretty high in rank, but he never gave me his name.”

“So, do you know what he wants with you?” Keith asked when it became clear that no one else was going to.  They all seemed too stunned to find the words.

“Uh, he wants me to be his personal chef, I think.”

“He wants you to be his consort,” the Galra corrected.  “Your honor and courage in battle impressed him.”  The man’s expression said that he didn’t want the information he held.

Hunk couldn’t quite process his words.  A consort would mean…

Allura looked appalled.  “He wants to _marry him_?”

Needless to say, after that bombshell dropped, they didn’t manage to get anything else done, and any other questions seemed moot.  They eventually released the Galra on a small moon somewhere out of the way.  He seemed weirdly grateful, but said nothing as he walked away.

 

* * *

 

Hunk blinked awake, head throbbing.  He tried to move and groaned at the way his muscles ached.  He could remember fighting, but he couldn’t remember _why_.  Or who, for that matter.  And where was he?  He looked around, but the room was dim and unfamiliar.  The furniture looked comfortable if plain, and the chair he was slouched in was not the worst thing he’d ever sat on.

His arms were tied in front of him, but they weren’t secured to the chair, and his legs were completely free.  Whether or not he was a hostage or a prisoner, he was the least secure captive he’d ever seen.

He looked around the room for a while, getting up and testing the rest of the furniture, periodically tugging at his restraints to check their strength.  Every now and again, he stretched to alleviate the tension in his muscles.  He tried to think of escape plans, but until he knew where he was and why he was there, he thought it might be better to wait.

He was back in the chair he woke up in when the door finally opened.

“Oh, excellent, you’re awake,” the Galra from the asteroid said, beaming widely.  His teeth were sharp.  “I was hoping you wouldn’t sleep for too long.”

“Prince Lotor, was it?” Hunk asked.  “Where am I?”

Lotor’s smile gentled for some reason.  “You’re on my ship, of course.  I had you brought here.”  He clapped his hands together, delighted.  “We’re finally going to have dinner together again.”

“What?  Uh, _no_ , I don’t think so.”  Hunk frowned.  “I don’t trust you or your food.  You’re our enemy.”

Lotor’s smile fell.  He looked annoyed.  “Enemy is a strong word.”

“Would you prefer villain?  Assailant?  Perhaps mortal foe?” Hunk asked, wry.

Lotor sighed, crossing his arms.  “I’d prefer suitor, but I can see this is going to be trickier than I hoped.”  Hunk’s eyebrows furrowed.  “Very well.  Why don’t you and I make a deal.  If you cook and eat dinner with me, I’ll let you escape.”

“You’re not serious.  Why on earth would you do that?”

“To earn your trust.”  Lotor smiled.  “You have nothing to lose, and if you’re the one cooking, you can’t accuse me of poisoning you.  I’ll even taste test everything for you until you’re satisfied.”

“And if you’re lying?”

He scoffed.  “What reason do I have to lie?  If I lock you back up here, you’ll never trust me again.  I’d much rather you stay willingly, my dear paladin.”

Hunk sighed and stood up.  Nothing for it, really.  He might as well see if he was telling the truth.  “Fine.  Lead the way, your majesty.  I’ll cook for you, but we won’t be eating dinner together.”

He opened the door and gestured him through.  “Oh, please, call me Lotor.  There’s no need for such formality between us.”  He glanced at him from the corner of his eye as they walked.  He looked almost shy.  “What may I call you?”

Hunk blinked.  “You can just call me Hunk.  Everyone else does.”

“Very well, Hunk.”  He opened a door ahead of them.  It seemed to be an elevator.  “I have plenty of ingredients, so you can make whatever you like.”

“If I’m going to be cooking for you, don’t you think you should have something in mind?”  He narrowed his eyes.  “Some kind of direction maybe?”

Lotor smiled, gesturing for Hunk to exit the elevator first.  “You said you enjoyed experimenting.  If you’d rather, I can choose a dish for you to make, of course.”

When the door to the kitchen opened, Hunk’s mouth dropped open.  It was beautiful, open and wide, with more appliances than Hunk knew how to use.  Some of them seemed familiar, some he’d seen in the castle’s kitchen, and some were completely unknown.  As he was gaping, he was distantly aware of the restraints popping off and into Lotor’s hands.

“The pantry is over here,” Lotor said, pulling open a door.  Hunk had never seen so many different kinds of foods in his life.  “You can use anything you want.”  Hunk’s palms began to tingle, and he realized he was holding his breath.

A dream come true wrapped in some kind of nightmare.  Hunk rolled up his sleeves.  Nothing for it but to get started.

As he cooked, Lotor chatted amicably.  Periodically, Hunk would have him taste test in case of poison, but after a while, the process got old.  Clearly he hadn’t poisoned his own food.  He didn’t want to think about it, but Hunk was starting to suspect that Lotor was serious about the consort thing.

Part of him wanted to cook something inedible so he’d leave him alone, but his pride wouldn’t allow it.  He wasn’t going to shame himself like that.  Besides, it would probably just make the prince angry.

Lotor sighed.  “You were better company when you didn’t know who I was,” he complained.

Hunk clenched his hand around the flippy-spatula-looking thing he was holding, scowling at the wall in front of him.  “I wonder why that might be.  It couldn’t have anything to do with our being enemies.  Definitely not because you kidnapped me.  And it certainly couldn’t be because you’re trying to kill my friends—no, my _family_.  And surely it’s not at all because you and your empire has enslaved or destroyed most of the universe.  I don’t have any idea why I might not want to talk to you.”

Lotor whistled.  “Wow.  That was cutting.  I’m kind of impressed.”

Hunk’s brain caught up with his mouth.  Telling the man holding him captive what he really felt was probably not his best decision.  He kept his eyes on the food, refusing to respond.

“Oh, don’t go silent on me again.  I’m not mad at you.  It’s good to know.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what was wrong.”  He sounded eminently reasonable and like he was smiling.  Hunk didn’t turn around to check.  It didn’t matter.

Hunk kept silent as he put the finishing touches on the meal.  When he plated it, he took the time to make sure it looked nice before turning around and setting it in front of Lotor.  “Dinner is served, your majesty,” he said, voice cold.

Lotor frowned, apparently hurt, but took his first bite without saying anything.  His expression morphed into one of pure bliss.  He moaned around his spoon-like utensil, hand clenched around it, eyes squeezed shut.  Hunk’s face felt hot.  He looked away.

“Hunk, this is incredible.”  He took a larger bite.  “I know I promised I’d let you leave, and I’m holding to that, but I really want you to reconsider.  Would it be so bad?  Cooking for me?”

He wouldn’t have to fight anymore, and he wouldn’t have to be afraid as often.  But Hunk had already made his decision.  He was going to do his part to help.  He was going to save lives.  And if he stayed, there would be no chance of ever going home again.

“I have responsibilities, Lotor,” Hunk said.  “I have an important job and a family to get back to.”

Lotor nodded slowly, his shoulders slumping.  “Must be nice, having a real family.”  He took another bite, smiling something melancholy.  “What’s it like?”

Hunk frowned, uncertain.  “Noisy, mostly.  What, you don’t have a real family?”

The twist to Lotor’s lips shifted into something bitter, but only for a moment.  Hunk almost thought he’d imagined it.

He laughed without humor, shaking his head.  He finished his plate without saying anything else.  As he stood, Hunk reached for his plate, but Lotor pulled it out of reach.  “Uh-uh, the chef doesn’t need to do dishes.  And anyway, it’s about time we arranged for your ‘escape.’”

Hunk followed him as he set his dish on the counter and led the way out the door.  He felt weird, not saying anything, but he didn’t know if he was supposed to ignore the dark turn the conversation took or not. 

“I’ll leave the door unlocked, so wait about two hundred ticks before you leave.  The path will be clear for you.”  Lotor pressed the button in the elevator.  “You’re going to turn right out of your door and continue _past_ three hallways.  On the fourth, you’ll turn left.  At the end of the hall is the hangar.  From there, you should be able to find your lion.  We took it with us when we grabbed you.”

Hunk half expected him to shove him back into the room with a harsh laugh and a jeer, mocking him for believing he’d tell the truth, but Lotor held open the door and smiled.

“I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, my dear paladin.”  He chuckled at Hunk’s grimace.  “I’m looking forward to it.”

“I can’t say the same.”

“That’s alright.  I’ll win you over yet.”  He rested his hand on Hunk’s shoulder, squeezing once.  “Safe travels.  Try not to get into too much trouble before next we meet.”

After he left, Hunk waited for about three minutes.  The path was clear, as promised, and his lion was the first thing he saw in the hangar, shield up and waiting for him.  His flight out was unobstructed and unhindered.  He felt a little off about it, but didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

His comms crackled to life as soon as he was out of their airspace.  “ _Hunk, Hunk, do you read?”_

“I read,” he said, slouching in his chair, soothed by the soft rumble of his lion.  “I’m fine, guys, a few bruises, but otherwise unharmed.”

“ _Thank God,_ ” Lance said.  “ _I thought we lost you, buddy.  We’re nearby.  We were gonna rescue you, but I guess you beat us to it.”_

“Yeah,” Hunk said, laughing a little shakily.  “That’s a funny story, actually.”

“ _Ha ha funny, or interesting-weird funny?”_ Pidge chimed in.

Hunk considered it.  “A little of both, maybe?  Leaning toward weird-interesting.”

“ _You’ll have to tell us once you’re home.”_   Shiro sounded relieved.

Hunk smiled.  Home always had such a nice ring to it.  For a moment, he remembered the sad look on Lotor’s face when he thought of family, the bitter smile and the long silence.  After a beat, he shook it off.  He wasn’t going to think about the prince.  He wasn’t.  Lotor was their enemy.

He was their enemy, no matter how lonely he seemed.


	3. The Second Kidnapping

The second time went much the same as the first.  However, Lotor bartered Hunk up to eating the meal with him, rather than standing nearby.  Like the first time, Lotor chattered happily while Hunk cooked; Hunk made noncommittal sounds in reply.  He didn’t want to admit it, but having the company while he cooked was pretty nice.

His kitchen at home was always crowded, and the kitchen at the castle was almost always empty but for him.  Having another body nearby was almost nostalgic.  Had the topics not been like something out of Star Trek, he could have been with one of his chatterbox cousins.

But when the meal was plated and they were sitting across from each other, Lotor met Hunk’s eyes and smiled wide.  “Now that you’re not busy, I’d like to ask you about yourself.”

Hunk raised his eyebrows.  “I don’t really want to answer.  I’m eating with you.  Isn’t that enough?”

Lotor sighed.  “I wanted this to feel more even, but I guess I can tell you something about myself instead.”  His mouth twisted wryly.  “Not very gentlemanly, but I suppose there’s always next time.  Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?”

Hunk frowned, considering.  “I can ask anything?”

“Sure.”  Lotor shrugged.  “I might not answer if the information is classified, but I’ll tell you anything I can.”

Hunk thought about it, taking a bite of the food absently.  Not enough of the weird purple spice.  Needed less of the blue stuff.  When he glanced up, Lotor was having another moment, eyes closed and cheeks dark purple.  His smile was one of delight.  At least he wasn’t moaning this time.

Fumbling for a question that wouldn’t be classified, but could still be useful, Hunk finally settled on something.  “What was your education like?” he asked.

Lotor actually looked surprised.  “My education?  Well, I went to an academy when I was young.  I spent almost all of my adolescence at the academy on Quosfik.  When I hit maturity, I was sent for and continued my education through private tutors.”

Hunk was starting to understand why he seemed so down about his family life.  “What subjects did you enjoy?”

Lotor took another bite as he thought about it.  “I can narrow it down to two.  I enjoyed history and mathematics throughout my education.”

“My history knowledge is pretty limited to my home planet, but I’ve always loved math.”  Hunk tried to smile; not responding seemed ruder than the situation warranted.  And besides, he couldn’t press for information without talking.  “I’m an engineer, so I do a lot of it.”

Lotor’s eyes lit up.  “Really?”  Faster than Hunk was anticipating, the rest of their conversation devolved into an exchange of mathematical proofs and theorems.  He couldn’t say he was disappointed.  Before he left, they stopped off in a different part of the ship than usual.  Lotor darted into a room and was back out in a flash.  He shyly handed Hunk a moderately thick book.

“This is my favorite book of mathematics.  It’s a theory text, but the proofs are all written out numerically.”  Lotor hesitated.  “Have you learned this language’s mathematical symbols?”

Hunk blinked in surprise.  “Um, yes, I’ve been taught them.”  Coran wanted to be sure he could understand readouts, even if nothing else made much sense.  “You’re giving me a math book?”

“I am.  I thought, maybe…  You might want to compare proofs?”  Lotor laughed, self-conscious.  His ears pressed flat.  “Your people might have made different discoveries than us.”

Hunk stared, his mouth falling open.  His fingers twitched at his side.  “You…  You want…  You want to talk about math with me?”

“Um, yes.”  Lotor smiled hesitantly.  “Would you be interested?”

Hunk should say no.  He knew he should refuse and walk away.  He _knew,_ but…  The last time someone was willing to talk about math with him at length was—well, it was too long ago.  He shouldn’t, but he _wanted_ to.

“I…”  Hunk was going to refuse.  He was going to say no.  He was not going to encourage him.  “I’d like that.”  He accepted the book, unable to look at Lotor’s grin.  God, he was an idiot.  This was a mistake.

“We can discuss them once you’ve had a chance to read through them.”  Lotor bounced a little on his feet, beaming wide and easy.  He led them back down the hallway.  “I wish I could have gone into mathematics,” he said, his smile waning into something melancholy.

“Pure math is beautiful,” Hunk allowed, keeping his eyes on the book as they walked.  Hesitantly, Hunk asked, “Have you considered abdicating?”  He doubted it, but he figured he might as well ask.  He didn’t think deserters would be allowed to live, even if they were royalty.

Still, Lotor chuckled.  “When I was younger, all the time.  Simply impossible.  Have you considered staying with me?”  When Hunk looked up, Lotor was batting his eyes.  He did not find it cute.

Hunk put on a smile.  “Simply impossible,” he echoed.  Lotor opened the door to the room Hunk started in, gesturing Hunk forward.

Lotor left him in the room with a squeeze to his shoulder and a sad smile.  “Until next time then.  Remember, two hundred ticks and then you can leave.”

Hunk nodded, holding the book close to his chest as Lotor closed the door behind him.  As he made his way to his lion, he thought about how he was going to explain his new book to the others.  Maybe he could just sneak it into his room.

They’d never need to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post the first few parts I had written, but they felt better as separate chapters. ^_^ I have a little more written, but I'm not sure if I want to post it yet or get more written first. I'm also not sure how to break them up. Would you guys like it to be split like it is right now? So each day is roughly one chapter? Or would you guys like the chapters to be one event at a time? More than one day or event? I'd be happy to hear opinions, since I'm not sure. I hope you'll let me know!
> 
> (I'd also be happy to hear if there's anything in particular you like about my fic!)


	4. First Date

Hunk sighed, looking around for someone he recognized.  He was surrounded by people, but he was alone.  Again.  Lance must be chasing a skirt.  He scrubbed a hand over his face, contemplating his options.  He could look for Lance or Pidge or Allura.  He could call Coran back at the Castle.  Or he could look around on his own for a little while.

He sighed again and started to walk.  At least the city was large and interesting.  There was plenty to look at.

He paused by a window selling what he thought might be cooking utensils when someone—tall and elegant, green skinned with feminine curves (by human standards), with large violet wings folded behind her—walked up beside him.  “D-Do you live around here?” she asked.

She was so nervous that Hunk was sure she must be lost.  Her face was bright emerald.  He smiled, trying to reassure her.  “I don’t.  Is something wrong?  I’d be happy to help if I can.”

She looked away, her feathers fluffing up a bit.  “No, nothing’s wrong, but…”  She turned and met his eyes, resolute.  “I’ve never done something like this, but—please go out with me!”

Hunk opened his mouth.  Hunk closed his mouth.  “What?”

“You’re so beautiful, I just had to ask—please, at least consider it?”

“I’m kind of a traveler…  I’m only here for the afternoon.”  Hunk frowned when she deflated.  “What’s your name?”

“Amreet,” she said.  “A-And you are?”

Hunk smiled.  “You can call me Hunk.  How about this, Amreet—my friend left me behind, so why don’t you show me around for a little while?”

Amreet beamed, feathers ruffling.  “Would that really be alright?”

“Sure,” Hunk said.  “You seem nice.”

“Then, I simply must show you the prettiest garden in the city!”  Amreet hesitated, shooting a surreptitious glance down at Hunk’s hands.  Her culture must have hand-holding like his.  Hunk offered her his hand with a grin.

“Then, lead the way, Amreet.”

As they walked, they talked about themselves and the city, Amreet’s job and his work as an engineer, their friends, their families.  By the time they made it to the garden, Hunk was actually having a pretty good time.  Amreet was sweet and very earnest.

When they reached the garden, any doubts Hunk may have had about the outing vanished.  “It’s beautiful,” Hunk breathed.

Amreet sighed.  “Yes.”  When Hunk looked up at her, she wasn’t looking at the garden.  Hunk turned back to take it all in.  The flowers were vibrant and humongous, towering over them.  There was a thing Hunk hesitated to call a river, glowing silver like mercury.  He wished he had a camera.

God, but it was beautiful.

“Do you come here often?” Hunk asked, still taking it all in.  There were people using what looked like lily pads as bridges.  He wanted to walk on one.

“Yes, I often do my work here.  I’m a painter.”  Amreet smiled shyly.  “I’m still not very good, but…”

“That’s amazing!”  Hunk beamed.  “My aunt is a painter!  What subjects do you prefer?”

Her face turned that fetching shade of bright emerald again.  Hunk thought she might be blushing.  “I mostly draw flowers and plants, but…  I’ve been thinking about trying my hand at people.”  She scuffed her foot on the ground.  “Would you consider… being my model?”

Hunk blinked in surprise.  He didn’t see any real reason to refuse.  Sitting down for a bit sounded pretty nice after all the walking he’d been doing.  “Sure, as long as we sit somewhere with a particularly good view.”

Amreet clapped happily, her wings fluttering behind her.

By the time Amreet was wrapping up her sketches a few hours of pleasant conversation later, Hunk noticed a familiar figure in the distance.  Lance was following what looked to be two girls, trying to talk to them.  They seemed to be laughing, but they also weren’t stopping.  He winced.

“There,” Amreet said, voice soft.  “You may move again.”  She fidgeted with the papers for a moment, shuffling them, before tugging one out of the pile.  She wrote something down on it, before standing and taking two strides over to Hunk.

“Can I see?” Hunk asked, leaning back to look up at her.

“You may,” Amreet said, smiling happily.  “But only because you were an exceptional model.”  She passed the papers over, watching as Hunk looked at each.

The sketches were incredibly detailed, highlighting features he’d never given much thought to.  The line of his jaw was repeated from different angle over an entire page.  His ear and the slope of his neck.  His face, focusing on his nose and cheeks.  His eyes.  Then there were several full body pictures, one of them labeled in a script he couldn’t read.  Hunk wondered if the markings were notes on color.

The last one was a simple portrait of him smiling into the distance, his eyes fond and warm.  This one was signed.  He looked up to ask about it, but Amreet spoke first.

“That one is for you.”  She looked down.  “Something to remember me by.”

Hunk beamed.  “Thank you!  It’s amazing, Amreet.  I’m going to keep it in my room.  Somewhere safe and where I can see it.”

Amreet blushed, making a sound almost like a squawk.  “That is too kind!  I—Thank you, Hunk.”  Amreet met his eyes, still blushing.  “I will always remember this day fondly.  Thank you for indulging me.  Someday, perhaps we will meet again.”

Hunk smiled.  “I hope we do.”

“ _Hunk_?”  Lance had noticed him then.

His smile turned rueful.  “I’m afraid I have to leave you here.  My friend found me.”  Amreet looked over his shoulder and chuckled.  “Thank you so much for taking me here.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, and I certainly won’t forget you.”

“You flatter me,” she said, but her feathers fluffed up.  “If you come back to this quadrant, I hope you’ll look me up.”  She looked down again.  “My contact information is on the back of the picture.”

Hunk flipped it over; it was.  “If I’m back in this area, I definitely will.  Thanks for such a fun afternoon, Amreet.”  He took her hand and squeezed once before leaving her, tucking the picture into his bag, slipping it between two books he’d picked up.

Lance finally caught up with him.  “Hunk, who was _that_?”

“Her name is Amreet.  She’s an artist,” Hunk said simply.

“And what, she wanted to draw you or something?” Lance asked, craning his neck to look at her.  “Why were you with her?”

“She asked me on a date, and I said yes.”

“ _What?”_

Hunk snorted.  “You heard me.  She was pretty embarrassed about it.”  He smiled.  “It was cute.  And besides, I didn’t have anyone to explore with.”  He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Lance.

Lance had the decency to look sheepish.  “Dude, there were these girls—”

Hunk rolled his eyes.  “There always are.  You wanna get food before we head back to the lions, or are you gonna ditch me again?”

“It’s just—I love you, man, but I really want to talk to a girl, you know?  Can we hang out when we get back?”  Lance clasped his hands together, pleading.  “It might be weeks before I get a chance like this again!”

Hunk sighed.  “Yeah, we can watch a movie or something when we get back.”  Now he’d have to find somewhere to eat…  Maybe Pidge or Allura had found somewhere?  “Try not to act like you want a date.  Play it casual,” Hunk reminded him.

Lance scoffed.  “Casual is my middle name.”

Hunk smirked.  “I thought it was—” Lance slapped a hand over his mouth.

Hunk licked his hand.

 

* * *

 

 

Alone again, Hunk wandered the streets, looking for somewhere to eat.  He had a little bit of money saved up from the last time they’d stopped planet-side, and he was looking forward to trying something new.  Finding the right restaurant, though, was another matter entirely.

He wished he could read the language.  Then he could at least find a hotel to ask for recommendations.  Luckily, there was a map next to a station for one of their… the best word for it was a tram.  Unluckily, Hunk was still illiterate.

He rubbed his thumb over his lip, trying to figure out which symbol on the map meant _food_.  Someone came up beside him, so he scooted over to give them room to look.

“Looking for something in particular?”

“Just trying to find someplace to eat, but I’m not…”  Hunk knew that voice.  “Sure…”  He looked up.  When he met Lotor’s eyes, the Galra was smiling.

“Fancy meeting you here, my dear paladin.”

“Oh, for the love of—Are you stalking me now?” Hunk asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.  “Am I doomed to run into you every time I come planet-side for _anything_?”

Lotor laughed, despite the accusation.  “Purely coincidence, I assure you.  I came here for a book I’ve been looking for.”  He sighed, sounding…  Well.  Hunk didn’t really want to think about that.  “Finding you was unexpected, but fortuitous.  I was starting to miss you.  It’s been far too long.”

“The feeling is not mutual,” Hunk grumbled.  After a beat, he sighed.  “Well, now what, your majesty?  Are you going to kidnap me again?  This’ll be, what, the fifth time?”

“The sixth,” Lotor corrected, but he seemed surprised.  “I hadn’t really thought about it yet.  I could, I suppose.”  Lotor tapped his cheek thoughtfully, tipping his head.  “Or…  I could take you to dinner?”

Hunk frowned.  “Excuse me?”

“I’d like to take you to dinner.  Will you allow me the honor?  What would you like to eat?”  Lotor seemed pleased with his idea.  “I can find you any kind of food you’d like.  You can consider it a thank you for all the meals you’ve made me.”

“You’d need to buy me more than one dinner for that,” Hunk muttered under his breath.  Lotor’s face was expectant.  Hunk sighed heavily.  “If I agree to this, will you let me leave without any trouble?”

Lotor beamed.  “Of course!  You have my word.  We can even get dessert!”

“Don’t push your luck.”  Hunk crossed his arms.  “I…  I want to eat something I’ve never had before.  Maybe something local?  I don’t know what’s good, and I… I can’t read the map.”

“Worry not, darling, I’ll find something suitable.”  With a quick glance over the map, Lotor nodded.  “I know just the place.”  He offered Hunk his arm.  “Shall we?”

Hunk glanced down at the arm, wrinkling his nose.

Lotor sighed, but still seemed to be in good spirits.  “Humor me?”

“I thought the dinner was humoring you.”  Hunk raised an eyebrow.

Lotor laughed, but let his arm drop.  “Fair enough, I suppose.”  He gestured to the left, and they fell into step together.  “By the way, have you had a chance to compare theorems and proofs?”

Hunk sighed.  “Yes and no.  While I can verify that all of the math checks out, figuring out which proofs and theorems correspond is… difficult.”  He sighed again, longer this time.  “We’re using different arrangements for the numbers, so there isn’t really a one-to-one correlation like I’d hoped.”

“That is trouble.”  Lotor hummed to himself.  “Maybe if you teach me the formulas and theorems you’re most familiar with, we can find some common ground?”

Hunk nodded.  “Yeah, maybe.”  This was an important task, he told himself.  It was important to understand galactic mathematics if he was going to continue working amongst the larger galaxy.  He didn’t want to geek out about the elegance of mathematics with someone who loved it almost as much as he did.

“You can walk me through a few while we eat!”

Hunk agreed easier than he otherwise would have liked, eager to compare notes in spite of himself.  It was probably fine.  Lotor was buying him dinner instead of kidnapping him.  This was the smarter move.

 

* * *

 

By the time they finished dinner, Hunk was reluctant to leave.  They were so close to figuring out Euler’s formula, he was sure of it.  He bit his thumbnail as Lotor spoke with the waiter, settling their bill.  Once they were squared away, Lotor shot him a sad smile.

Hunk looked down at the table, fidgeting with his napkin.  He was going to regret this, he just knew it.  “You said something about dessert?”

Lotor’s smile was almost worth the bad decision.

Lotor found them a shop that sold what looked like ice cream cones, and paid for the flavor Hunk liked best.  He didn’t know what was in it, but it was almost magenta in color.  He expected it to taste fruity, but it was closer to mint, weirdly.

Eating their not-ice cream, Hunk and Lotor stood side by side, overlooking what might have been a waterway, one with that same silvery mercury-like liquid.  It flashed like fire in the light of the setting sun.  Hunk could see the park Amreet had taken him to in the distance.

“It seems I’ve come full circle today,” Hunk noted absently.  At Lotor’s inquiring glance, Hunk elaborated.  “I was at that park earlier.  It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” Lotor said, turning back to face the park.  “This is the only planet some of those flowers will grow on.”  The planet’s second sun finally dipped below the buildings behind them, casting the park in shadow.

The whole area began to give off a faint glow.  “Bioluminescent?” Hunk asked aloud.

Lotor shot him a look, surprised.  “You didn’t—No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.”  Lotor smiled.  “I’ve always found the park more beautiful at night.  We could finish dessert there?”

Hunk bit his lip, but eventually gave in.  He wanted to see glowing giant flowers before he got called away.  He hadn’t heard from the other paladins yet, but he was sure he’d be called back soon.  Coran probably had the Castle fixed by now.

The walk to the park was quiet, but not uncomfortable.  And when they finally entered, any thought of speaking flew from Hunk’s mind.  The huge flowers of the afternoon were now glowing in incredible patterns over their stems and petals and leaves.

“Amazing,” he breathed.

Lotor stopped just beside him, their arms nearly brushing.  “Thank you,” he said softly.  “I’m glad I could be here for your first time.”

Hunk swallowed wrong and coughed, cheeks burning.  He was suddenly grateful for the dim lighting of the forest.  It might cover up some of his blush.  Although, Galra could have night vision…

“How well can you see in the dark?” he asked.

“How well…?” Lotor laughed softly.  “That’s kind of an odd question.  I can see about as well in the dark as in the light, I suppose.  Why?”

Hunk shook his head.  “No reason.  Just wondering.”

“Hunk, I know you didn’t want to do this with me, but really.  Thank you for indulging me.”  Lotor smiled, his teeth shining in the light of the flowers around them.  His eyes, too, seemed to glow softly.  “I’ve had a lot of fun this evening.”

Hunk turned back to look at the flowers resolutely.  “It wasn’t the worst day of my life,” he allowed.  Given all of the danger and drama he was used to whenever they landed somewhere, today was comparatively stress free.

When he risked a glance at Lotor, the Galra was beaming, pointy ear to pointy ear.  Hunk looked back at the flowers and the mercury-like river.  He wasn’t cute, he reminded himself.  He was the enemy prince.  He was the bad guy.

His cheeks felt unaccountably warm.  He decided to ignore it.

“Hunk, I—”

“— _Hunk, it’s time to go.  Where are you?_ ” Pidge’s voice came from his communicator, breaking whatever mood had settled between them and interrupting whatever Lotor was about to say.  Hunk wasn’t disappointed.

“I’ll be there soon,” he told Pidge before turning back to Lotor.  He tried to smile.  “It’s time for me to go,” Hunk said, his voice soft.

Lotor sighed.  “I suppose you must.”  He took one of Hunk’s hands and bent his head.  Hunk jolted as he brushed his lips over his knuckles.  “Until next time, dear paladin.  You’ll be in my thoughts.”

“R-Right,” Hunk said eloquently.  “I’ll, uh…  Good night, Lotor.”

Lotor smiled, but it looked melancholy.  “Good night, Hunk.”

Hunk left quickly, not looking back.  When he was safe inside his lion, he emptied his pocket: the portrait from Amreet and several pages of notes on different mathematical proofs and theorems.  Amreet had been sweet, but Lotor had been…

He shook his head.  No one was ever going to know about this.  Lotor was a bad guy and the prince of the evil empire.  He wasn’t charming or funny or handsome or anything.  He was just a Galra prince who insisted on kidnapping him at every opportunity.

He hesitated, and amended: _almost_ every.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, I hope you'll consider leaving a comment! ^_^ I might not be able to post the next chapter for a little while, but I hope this will tide you over until then. I have a lot of plans for this fic, so hopefully I'll have time to write them down soon. Thank you for reading!


	5. On the Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to have this finished before a canon Lotor existed, but that's clearly not the case now. In any event, this should only have a couple chapters before it's finished! I hope you all enjoy it!

Hunk felt distinctly unsettled.  Their last clash with the Galra had been ages ago, and he had yet to see hide nor hair of Prince Lotor.  It wasn’t that Hunk was worried about him, but the anticipation was killing him.  Lotor had never gone this long without trying to kidnap him.

He shook his head.  He was in this scary black market for parts.  He needed to focus.  This was supposed to be a quick trip.  In and out.  Otherwise people might notice him, try to arrest him, or try to kill him.  So of course, they split up, leaving him on his own.

He sighed, looking around and fidgeting with his hood.  He refused to dress as ostentatiously as Coran, but he did want to keep his face hidden as much as possible.  The people in this market were… frightening to say the least.  He didn’t feel like he stood out, dressed as he was.  He was pretty sure half the things sold in the stalls were either incredibly dangerous or completely illegal.

But, well, the parts he needed were, well, not strictly speaking legal either.  Coran said it was something to do with their use in Altean technology and being a way to keep an eye on any Altean tech still in use.  Hunk didn’t really get it, but if they were going to fix the castle’s engines, they’d need at least six blystones.

He didn’t even know what a blystone _looked_ like, except that they apparently resembled a cross between a gear and a piston.  He resigned himself to wandering more or less aimlessly.

Pidge and Allura were looking for some circuit boards for one of Pidge’s robots; Coran was looking for some kind of energy source with an unpronounceable name; and Lance was…  Hunk actually didn’t know what Lance was doing.  Shiro and Keith were watching the castle, and probably training or whatever it was they did when they were alone together.

Why couldn’t they look together?  Was he the only one who remembered watching Scooby Doo?  He dodged around a particularly large Galra, warily turning his head as he passed.  As soon as he was in the clear, he glanced back, frowning.

That was the third one he’d seen in the last twenty minutes.  Was something going on?

He got his answer as he rounded the next corner.  On the wall, there was a poster displaying a portrait of Prince Lotor.  There were letters above it in large print, and numbers below it.  If he remembered the characters Coran taught him right, it was a particularly large number too.

Was that a _wanted poster?_   For _the Galran Prince?_

He gaped at it for a long moment, not quite sure what he was supposed to do with this information.  Was Lotor a _criminal_ in the empire’s eyes?  Or was he missing?  Either way, it explained why Lotor hadn’t been kidnapping him lately.  It also explained the large Galra presence.

He hurried on.  He just needed to find the blystones and get back to the ship.  When he rounded the next corner, looking intently at each stall he passed, he ran headlong into someone coming from the opposite direction.

They both went down, Hunk landing on top.  He winced, lifting himself to his hands and knees.  “Oh, quiznak, I’m so sorry.  I—”  Hunk froze, finally taking in the person beneath him.  Beneath a dark hood, Prince Lotor was gaping up at him.  His cheeks were flushed violet, and his eyes were that same striking yellow, especially in the shadow Hunk cast.

Their faces were very close.  Hunk’s face felt hot.  He felt a little light headed; was he holding his breath?  He should probably say something.  Lotor kept looking side to side, fidgeting beneath him.  _Quiznak_ , he was still on top of him.

“Lo—” but before his name could leave Hunk’s mouth, Lotor pressed his hand over his lips, shaking his head.

“You mustn’t,” Lotor whispered.  “Not here.  It isn’t safe.”  His eyes darted to the side again.  “If you could, I must be going.  I’m…  I have business to attend to, unfortunately.”  He met Hunk’s eyes again, looking remorseful and disappointed.  “If only we could meet under better circumstances.”

Hunk frowned.  “Does this ‘business’ have anything to do with a certain poster I saw earlier?  Are you in trouble?”

Lotor looked away.  _Bingo_.  “It has nothing to do with you.  I don’t want you to get involved, not with something this dangerous.  Now please, Hunk, let me up.  I need to keep moving.”

Lotor was far from a saint, and he was something of a nuisance, but…  Hunk couldn’t let the empire take him into custody.  It felt… wrong somehow.  He was a nuisance, but who else would talk about math with him?

People were beginning to stare, so Hunk rose to his feet, offering Lotor a hand up.  When he accepted, Hunk pulled him to his feet and tightened his hold on his hand.  “Come with me,” he said.

“What?”  Lotor’s cheeks returned to their previous violet hue.  “I think I must have heard you wrong.  I thought you just said…”

“Come with me,” Hunk confirmed.  “They think you’re traveling alone.  This will arouse less suspicion.  I need to find some engine parts, and then we can go.  You can hide with us.  We’re the last place they’d look for you, right?”

Lotor hesitated.  “Well, yes, but your _friends_ are unlikely to approve.”  He tugged at his hand, but Hunk held tight.  “There is no chance that the princess will allow me to stay with you.”

“Let me deal with that.”  Hunk rubbed his thumb over the back of Lotor’s hand.  “At least think about it.  I need help finding blystones anyway, so I’d appreciate your help.  It would be a real favor to me.”  Hunk smirked.  “I’d owe you one.”

Lotor’s ears perked up beneath his hood.  _Gotcha_.  “One what?” he asked, voice soft.

Hunk shrugged.  “A favor.  It could be pretty much anything within reason.  I could cook for you, eat with you, or… well, anything else, I guess.  That’s up to you.”

Lotor’s gaze dropped to the floor between them.  “I’ll help you find the blystones, but after that, I really must be going.  Even this much is too dangerous.  I…”  Lotor met his eyes, the yellow looking softer, almost like butter.  “I don’t want to put you in danger.  You’re far too precious.”

Hunk could feel his blush in his ears.  He didn’t know what to say.  Coughing, he looked away.  “R-Right, well.  Any idea which stall sells blystones here?”

“Yes, actually,” Lotor said, accepting the change in subject with a small smile.  “You were heading in the right direction.  I recently passed one of the only merchants selling them in this quadrant.  You’re lucky, their stock was quite full.”

“That’s great!” Hunk beamed.  He started walking, only remembering he was still holding Lotor’s hand when their hands crossed awkwardly.  Before Lotor could say anything, he switched which hand he was holding, swinging their arms once.  “Not that I don’t trust you not to bolt, but…  Well, no, I don’t trust you not to bolt.  This is safer, I promise.”  He watched a lot of movies with Pidge.  He was pretty sure this was the best way to lay low.

When another large Galra walked past them, Lotor froze up.  Hunk laughed as if Lotor had said something funny, turning his face away from the Galra, his body blocking his line of sight.  When the Galra passed without giving them more than a passing glance, Lotor gaped at him.

“Where did you learn to do that?”

Hunk grinned sheepishly.  “If I said I saw it in a movie once, would you know what I was talking about?”  Lotor shook his head.  “I learned it by watching a fictional superhuman dodging a government agency,” he clarified.  The Black Widow had yet to fail him.

“Fascinating,” Lotor mumbled.

“If you come with me, I can show it to you, sometime.  Pidge—the green paladin?—she hooked something up that lets us watch Earth movies.”  What was he _doing?_ Lotor was the enemy prince.  He should definitely be turning him in for reward money.  Although, the empire wanted him, too.  Maybe that’s why Lotor was trusting him this far.  They were both wanted men now.

“This is it,” Lotor said, interrupting Hunk’s thoughts.  The stall was narrow and crammed with bits and bobs of various sizes and shapes.  There were way too many and all of them were either gear-like or piston-like.  It was hard to see if any were both.

“Have you… seen one of these in person?” Hunk asked.

“Once or twice,” Lotor agreed.  “Have you?”

He shook his head.  “Ours are apparently broken beyond recognition right now.”

Lotor actually looked concerned.  “Your _blystones_ are that badly broken?  And you’re all _alive_?”

“Yes?  Should we not be?”  Hunk’s eyes widened.  “Was Coran downplaying the danger again?”

“Blystones keep the engine running normally and prevent a ship from, well, maybe it’s better if you don’t know.  Don’t let them break again.”  His expression was stern and very serious under the hood.  He didn’t want to admit it, but he looked cute like that, a small wrinkle forming between his brows.

“I don’t like the sound of that, but…  Well, as long as we get them fixed, it’s fine, I guess?”  Hunk winced.

Lotor nodded, leading them into the nook.  His eyes roved over the merchandise methodically, sweeping over each section one by one.  When he found what he was looking for, his ears perked up again.  Hunk resisted the urge to reach out and touch them, under the hood though they were.

“How many did you need?” Lotor asked, looking over what must be the blystones.

“Coran said we need at least six.”

“How much money do you have?”

Hunk offered him his money pouch.  Lotor opened it and rifled through it.  “Three, four, five, six, seven thousand… That should be enough for more than six,” he said, voice low.  “You’ll need to barter with the man.  Will you be able to?  I can’t exactly show my face here.”

Hunk nodded.  “This I actually have some experience with,” he said, smiling.  “How many should I be able to afford?”

“At a fair price?” Lotor asked.  “Twelve.  At a black market price?  Maybe ten, if you’re lucky.”

“How many do they have here?”

“Fifteen.”

Hunk nodded to himself, considering.  When he was ready, her turned around and gestured to the proprietor.  “I’ll take the lot,” he said, chin tilted back with feigned confidence.

The proprietor’s antennae quirked with what Hunk thought might be interest.  “Oh?  You’re sure you can afford it?”

“Of course.  Four thousand units,” Hunk told him.

The man scoffed.  “These are worth more than twice that.”

“Five thousand,” Hunk allowed.

“When I could sell these for ten?  Think again.”  The man was scowling now.

“You could, if anyone was in the market for these.”  Hunk looked them over.  “They seem to be collecting dust.  I’m willing to liquidate them for you.  Isn’t it better to move something like this sooner than later?  Five thousand five hundred.”

“I can do nine.”

“When they’ve been sitting here for this long?  Some of these could be broken for all I know.”  Hunk narrowed his eyes.  “Six thousand.”

The man thought for a long moment, looking over his stock, assessing.  “Eight thousand.”

“Make it seven, and you have a deal.”

The man ran a tentacle over his chin, his third eye narrowing.  “You drive a hard bargain,” he said at last, tone almost admiring.  “You have a deal.”  With a crook of one of his other tentacles, a hovercart floated over to them.  Lotor quietly loaded the blystones onto it while Hunk handed the man his units.

The man counted them twice before nodding.  “You’re free to go.  Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Pleasure’s mine,” Hunk said with a respectful nod.

He and Lotor covered the cart with a cloth handed to them by the shopkeeper and pushed it between them.  They walked in silence back the way they’d come.

“Did you mean it?” Lotor asked, uncharacteristically meek.  “You would argue with your friends for my protection?”

Hunk glanced at him.  It was probably a bad idea, but he’d never been the one to bring home someone who needed help before.  That probably counted for something.  He could use it against the others, certainly.  He nodded.

“They owe me.  You’re not a bad enough person to leave at the mercy of the empire.”  Hunk looked away.  “Besides, if they arrest you, who would talk about mathematics with me?”

“You… like me?” Lotor asked, his voice careful with a definite hopeful undertone.

“I don’t hate you,” Hunk admitted.  “And I don’t think you’re evil.”

Lotor fell silent, but continued walking with him.  “I don’t want to drag you into this, but…  I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Hunk smiled.  “We’re already being hunted,” he said.  “You’re hardly going to make that worse for us.”  He scratched his cheek with his free hand.  _That was a thought_ …  “We could call you an informant or a political prisoner.  That could work.”

“A prisoner?”  Lotor wrinkled his nose.

“You’d be free to walk about the castle, don’t worry.  It would be closer to house arrest, but you don’t really want to leave the castle right now anyway, right?”

Sighing, Lotor nodded.  “I suppose that’s true.  I’d prefer the informant role, if I have any say in the matter.”

Hunk rolled his eyes.  “Your preference is noted.”  In the distance, Hunk could see Coran waiting beside their ship.  Lance was approaching from the other side of the docking bay, Pidge and Allura seemed to be putting things in the cargo hold.  “Keep your hood down, and let me do the talking.”

Lotor nodded.  The shadows of his hood obscured his face, but Hunk thought he might be blushing.  He wanted to ask, but they were out of time.  Lance waved at him, grinning and lugging a cart behind him.  It looked like there was an actual TV on it.

Pidge was already circling him, checking out his haul.  _Their game console_ , Hunk remembered _, Pidge couldn’t hook it up to anything in the castle_.

“Hunk,” Coran greeted, “Did you find the blystones?”

He nodded at the cart, grinning.  “I got us fifteen, but I’m out of money.”

Coran and Allura gaped at him.  “How did you—?”

“I used to shop at farmers’ markets with my grandmother.  Bartering and haggling are the same in any culture, it seems.”  He laughed.  “I just used all her best techniques.”

“Who’s your friend?” Lance asked when he was close enough.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Lotor.  Hunk slung an arm over his shoulder.  “He helped me find the blystones.  He’s under fire from the empire, too, so I offered to take him somewhere safe.  That’s okay, right?”

Allura hesitated.  “I don’t know…  This isn’t like you, Hunk.”

Pidge frowned at him, looking from Lotor to Hunk a couple times.  She pushed her glasses up.  “I trust Hunk’s instincts,” she decided.  “We shouldn’t really stay here much longer anyway.  It’s too risky.”

“That’s true, but I’m really not sure…” Allura muttered.

Coran jolted, eyes going wide.  “We’re out of time, and Hunk’s friend will be outnumbered.  Everyone on the ship, _now_.”

They quickly loaded their ship and clambered in, the doors closing as guards turned toward them.  By the time they thought to approach, they were already airborne.  Coran quickly turned them toward the castle.  For a moment, Hunk’s stomach lurched as they got into gear, but it thankfully settled before anyone could notice.

Lotor scooted a little closer to him, their sides pressing together.  When Hunk glanced across the cabin, he found Allura staring at them, her eyes narrowed.  Thankfully, at that moment, Pidge and Lance dragged her attention away by inviting her to play video games with them as a way to introduce her to more of Earth’s culture.

Hunk let out a breath.  So far, so good.  All that was left was to actually convince them that keeping a Galran prince wanted by the empire aboard was a good idea.

It was a terrible idea.


	6. Meeting the Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously my Lotor is no longer canon, but I've decided to finish this as it is. ^^ Next time I write Hunkalot, I'll try to use the canon Lotor. Or, well, something closer at least. Maybe his generals too. We'll see! I do have a few fic ideas, but I want to finish this one first. Hope you guys enjoy it!

As soon as they were all back in the main control room, the rest of the team faced Hunk and Lotor.  Shiro and Keith both looked surprised by the new addition.

“Hunk?” Shiro tilted his head curiously.  “Who’s your friend?”

“I need you all to promise you won’t freak out,” Hunk said instead of answering.  “Or, at least let me explain before you freak out.”

Shiro, Keith, and Pidge all nodded with some hesitation, but the others looked less convinced.  Hunk sighed and nodded to Lotor.

“Go ahead,” he said.  Lotor grimaced, but pulled the hood off.

At once, the tension in the room spiked.  Before anyone could make a move, Hunk took a step in front of Lotor, one arm raised protectively in front of him.  “Hey, wait, I told you I can explain, didn’t I?”

“He’s not threatening you, is he, Hunk?” Lance asked.

“What could have possibly possessed you to think this was a good idea?” Allura demanded.  “He’s the _prince of the empire_.  _Zarkon’s son_.”  Lotor winced.  “Does that mean nothing to you?”

“What happened to giving someone the benefit of the doubt!”  Hunk scowled.  “You guys keep calling _me_ suspicious and untrusting, well now look who’s talking.”

“ _He is Zarkon’s son_ ,” Allura hissed.  “Our _enemy_.  How could you, of all people, forget that?”

“You said he’s under fire from the empire.” Pidge crossed her arms, eyes on Lotor, calculating.  “What did you do?”

“My… loyalties were called into question,” he admitted.  He glanced briefly at Hunk before he turned back to Pidge.  “There were those among my crew who believed I had grown… soft.  That I was letting my feelings get in the way of my command.”

“Were they right?” Keith asked.

Lotor seemed surprised.  He hesitated but, after a heavy pause, nodded.  “Even if my father himself commanded I kill the paladins of Voltron in order to take the lions, I would not have been able to.”  He met Hunk’s eyes.  “Temporarily kidnapping you is one thing, but if I killed one of your friends, you would never forgive me.”

Hunk felt a little dizzy.  He hadn’t really thought about it, but releasing him all the time must have been a huge risk.  His face felt warm.  He should not be touched just because someone decided not to murder the people he cared for.  And yet…

“You care for Hunk that much?” Shiro asked, dubious.

“I love him,” Lotor said, simply.  “I thought I’d made my intentions abundantly clear.”

“I can’t believe any of you _believe_ this,” Allura said, scowling darkly.  “We cannot allow an enemy Galra to remain within the castle.  It isn’t safe.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Hunk said, cheeks still warm.  “If we keep him under surveillance, he won’t be able to cause any problems, right?  He’ll be like a political prisoner.  An informant, even.  He knows a lot about the empire’s inner workings.  We can use him.”

Lotor nodded.  “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“We could take turns watching him,” Keith added thoughtfully.  “We can all observe and see for ourselves.  Hunk has never done anything like this before, and he’s always been a good judge of character.”  Keith smirked at him.  “I mean, we all remember that time he said the people were out to get us, and Lance got tied up while some girl stole his lion, right?”

“And that time when Lance ended up in a net, surrounded by angry aliens?” Shiro added, his lips quirking.

“Don’t forget the time when Lance—”

“Hey, ease up already!” Lance protested.  Shiro looked appropriately remorseful ( _too_ appropriate, even); Keith looked unrepentant.  Pidge looked thoughtful.  Allura still looked quietly furious.

“If he tries anything, we can always toss him in the holding cell, right?” Shiro offered when he saw the look on her face.

“I won’t have anything to do with this,” Allura said, storming toward the door.  “You’re all going to get us _killed_.”

When the doors swished shut behind her, everyone fell silent.  The silence hung heavy over everyone.  Lotor fidgeted, clearly anxious.  Hunk rested his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.  He shot him a surprised look, but turned his full attention back to the other paladins.

Coran finally sighed, tugging at his moustache.  “You’re all willing to give this a try?”  The other paladins nodded with varying levels of confidence.  Hunk was surprised that Keith’s was the strongest.  “I’ll talk to Allura.  You can work out shifts amongst yourselves.”  He sighed again.  “We’ll deal with sleeping arrangements later.”  He paused.  “Oh, and Hunk?  After dinner, I’d like your help with the engine.”

Hunk agreed readily, and with that settled, Coran followed Allura out the door at a more sedate pace.  Hunk could foresee at least one interrogation in his future.

Lotor glanced around the room, looking a little shell-shocked.  “Thank you,” he said carefully.

“We aren’t doing this for you,” Keith told him.  He nodded at Hunk.  “I trust you, not him.  He steps a toe out of line, and he’s out.”

Hunk smiled.  “I figured as much.  Thank you.”

“You swear you’ll answer _any_ questions we have?” Pidge asked, gaze intent.  “I have a lot of questions.  Especially about what happens to your prisoners and where your work camps are.”

Lotor blinked.  “I don’t know everything, but I’m willing to tell you what I do know.  On that, you have my word.”

Pidge nodded once.  “Then I won’t sabotage your chances with us.”  She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, smirking now.  “And now, Hunk,” she began ominously.  “You owe us.”  Lance looked distracted, but Shiro and Keith were both smirking again, nodding along.

He sighed.  Typical.  “What do you want?  Aside from information from Lotor, that is.”

Pidge ignored his reminder, her expression serious.  “Don’t let Coran cook tonight,” she and Shiro said at the same time.

Hunk snorted.  Easy enough.  “Deal.  One of you might want to join me in the kitchen, though.  I don’t think Allura will eat anything I make if Lotor was near it.”  He shot Lotor an apologetic look.  Lotor smiled, shrugging.

Lance frowned, crossing his arms.  “I’ll see you guys later.  I need to think about some things.”  He didn’t sound like he’d been listening at all.  Lance hesitated at the door.  “Hunk, when you switch out with someone, can we talk?” He asked, glancing back.  He looked worried.

Hunk nodded quickly.  “Sure, Lance.  Of course.”  That made two interrogations.

When Lance left, Pidge hummed to herself, watching him go.  “I’m gonna check on him.  You keep an eye on your… Galra.  We’ll talk later.”  Hunk sighed, nodding.  Three, now.  She narrowed her eyes at Lotor.  “You’ve helped ruin a lot of lives.  I hope you realize you’re going to have to start making up for that now.”

Lotor winced.  “I know.  I’ll do my best to make up for my sins.”

Pidge walked out the door, barely acknowledging him.  That could have gone much worse.  Hunk hesitated before glancing back at Shiro and Keith.  “I do need one of you to supervise if Lotor is going to be staying with me.  Assuming you really do want me to cook tonight, that is.”

Shiro slung his arm around Keith’s shoulders.  “We’d be happy to.  I’d like to know a little more about when all this,” he gestured between Hunk and Lotor, “started happening.  I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Ditto,” Keith said, leaning into Shiro, looking smug now.

Lotor looked concerned, but Hunk had expected something like this from the moment he decided to take Lotor in.  They were family.  This much was expected.  At least four and five could be done at once.  He sighed, but shrugged.  “Well, we may as well get started then.  I’m going to try making Altean food, and that always takes me a while.”

“Altean food?” Lotor asked.

“As an apology to Allura for springing this on her,” Hunk said, leading the four of them to the kitchen.  “I knew she wouldn’t like it, but I took you in anyway.”

“Something tells me we’ll be eating Altean food for a while,” Keith muttered.

“At least Hunk’s the one cooking it.”  Shiro wrinkled his nose.  “Do you remember that drink slash hair tonic Coran tried to force on us?”

“Don’t remind me,” Keith whined.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Lotor hissed, leaning into Hunk.  “Voltron’s first and second in command?  Maybe I should just…”

“Don’t be so dramatic; you’ll be fine,” Hunk snorted, opening the kitchen doors.

Lotor stared around the room, frowning, his thoughts clearly shifting.  “If I’d known your kitchen was this bad, I would have given you more gifts.”  He crossed his arms.  “This is hardly worthy of you, Hunk.”

Hunk laughed, only laughing harder when he saw the bemused looks on Shiro and Keith’s faces.  He ushered them all inside, trying to compose himself.  “Just because it doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as yours does not make my kitchen _unworthy_.  If you insult my kitchen again, I might not let you watch me cook next time,” Hunk teased.  He felt playful, his family and Lotor filling up the empty spaces.  It almost felt like home.

Lotor’s lips pressed tightly shut.  Hunk almost started laughing again, but he held himself back.

Shiro smirked, looking Lotor over as if seeing him for the first time.  That didn’t bode well for Lotor, Hunk thought.  “Interesting.  So, it really was the food thing for you, huh?”

“I get the appeal, but marrying a guy just because he’s a good cook seems a little crazy, don’t you think?” Keith raised an eyebrow, glancing between them.

Hunk washed his hands and gathered the ingredients he needed.  Luckily he’d had Coran teach him how to make Allura’s favorite food.  Even if she refused to join them, he could offer her that much.  If she didn’t want to eat with Lotor, he and Hunk could always eat in the kitchen.

“Hunk is hardly _just_ a good cook.  He’s a genius.”  When Hunk glanced back at him, he was blushing violet.  “And the cooking isn’t the only thing I like about him.  I’d hardly risk my life joining people I once considered enemies if it was.”

Keith and Shiro glanced at each other, communicating silently.  Shiro smiled at Lotor, gentle and open.  Hunk didn’t trust it.  He knew how older brothers operated, and this was starting to look eerily familiar.

“So, what else do you like about him?”  Shiro tipped his head.  “We can’t really trust you until we know you’re in earnest, right?  We want Hunk to be safe.”

“He _is_ the nice one,” Keith said with a straight face.  “We need to protect his tender heart from any ill intent.”

Hunk groaned, but Lotor just looked confused.  “Nice?”  He looked at Hunk, considering.  “Hunk hardly needs protecting,” he protested.  “Hunk is strong and capable, and he doesn’t trust easily.  But he…” Lotor looked down, the violet spreading down his neck.  “He trusts me,” he said softly.  Hunk quickly turned back to his preparations.  His ears felt hot.

“Oh my God,” Shiro breathed.

He heard a soft smack, like Keith had shoved him.  “So, what, you fall in love and change your mind, just like that?”

“I’m not my father,” Lotor said firmly.  He sighed.  “And I’m not sure my father is, either.”  Hunk spun around, wide-eyed.  Lotor was looking at his hands.  “It’s been a long time since he was himself.  If the father I knew when I was young could see what he’d become…  He’d be horrified.  He never used fear to lead.  His men loved him.  They were _proud_ to follow him.  But now…”  Lotor shook his head.  “There is… unrest in the capitol.”

Keith whistled lowly.  “Well, quiznak.”

“Quiznak, indeed,” Lotor said.

“We’ll need to tell Allura.  This changes a lot.  We might actually stand a chance after all.”  Shiro rubbed his thumb over his lip.

Lotor scoffed.  “You doubted yourselves?  You are the empire’s greatest threat.  As long as you roam free, people have hope.  There have been no less than thirty revolts since you began operating publically.  There’s a revolutionary force gathering at the edge of the empire.”  Lotor shook his head.  “Not to mention the Blade of Marmora.  They’ve long been a pain in our side.  They’re nearly impossible to weed out of our ranks.”

“Things are that bad?” Shiro asked.  Hunk began resumed his work, starting water to boil and cutting the weird Altean root the dish was centered around.

“Worse,” Lotor admitted, his voice dropping.  “My father has been acting through me and his… witch, but the truth is…”  Lotor took a deep breath, steadying himself.  Hunk glanced back at him.  He looked like he was finally coming to grips with his decision.  “The truth is my father has been comatose since your battle with him.  Haggar is beside herself, and the generals are beginning to notice.”

“Holy quiznak,” Keith breathed.  “This changes everything.  We have to tell Allura.”

“She won’t believe him without proof,” Hunk reminded them.  “Unless we have someone independently confirming everything Lotor says, she won’t trust word out of his mouth.”  He could feel the surprised silence behind him like a physical weight.  “If I were her, I would have already figured out exactly how best to get rid of him.”

“I’m never going to sleep,” Lotor decided.

Hunk rolled his eyes.  “You’ll be fine.  I’m slow to trust, remember?  I know exactly what she’ll try.”  He laughed to himself.  “Besides, between Keith and I, we’ll have you covered.”

Keith snorted.  “Never go planetside with her, and make sure you avoid all the areas with doors that lead into space.”

Shiro sighed.  “Honestly, the three of you are all horrible.  Such complicated methods and backhanded means.  Whatever happened to just killing threats with your bare hands?”  He shook his head.

Lotor looked terrified.  Keith lost whatever control he had and started laughing, doubled over, a hand wrapped around Shiro’s waist for support.  Hunk tried not to laugh, but it was a lost cause.

“Lotor, do you trust me?” Hunk asked, turning around.  Lotor eyed the knife still in his hand, swallowed, and nodded.  “I won’t let them do anything.  You’re safe here.  And besides, that’s just Shiro’s sense of humor.”  He shot Shiro a look.  “Really?”

Shiro did not look sorry in the slightest, especially not with Keith still gasping for breath beside him.

“Lotor, come help me stir this,” Hunk said.  Lotor jumped, hurrying to his side, glancing periodically over his shoulder.  “You really don’t need to worry,” Hunk told him, voice low.  “You’ve never harmed me, and whether they admit it or not, that means something to them.”

Lotor looked at him for a long beat, stirring absently.  “You mean it, then?  Even though I’m…” he couldn’t seem to finish the sentence, so Hunk bumped his shoulder into him.

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t mean it.  You protected me from the empire, so I’m going to do the same.  It’s as simple as that.”

Lotor turned to face him, resting a hand on his shoulder.  “Thank you.  I owe you my life.”

Hunk turned away, face hot.  “Keep stirring,” he said, waving a hand at him.  The rest of the prep went well, Shiro and Keith asking Lotor an uncomfortable number of questions while Hunk periodically stepped in.  Lotor and Keith, strangely enough, seemed like they might get along once Lotor relaxed more.  He only wished the rest of the team could be this simple.

While Hunk was plating everything, Keith distracted Lotor and Shiro replaced him beside Hunk.  “Hey,” he said, “I can tell you’re serious about this, but you know that Allura is going to fight you every step of the way.”

“I know.  I wish the circumstances were better.”

“Don’t we all.”  Shiro handed him the next plate.  “If he hurts you, I’m going to have to shoot him out of the airlock.  I hope you know that.”

Hunk smiled.  “I know.”

“Ignoring the evil empire stuff, though, he seems good for you.  I’m almost tempted to say I like him,” Shiro told him, raising his eyebrows.  “If the two of you decide to…  Well, you have our support.  Even if he’s the evil prince.”

Hunk spluttered.  “We _aren’t_ —I’m just—” but with a wink, Shiro was walking back to Keith, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and joining in with whatever he and Lotor were discussing.  Hunk decided he wasn’t going to think about it yet.  He had bigger issues to deal with.


	7. Well-Founded Concerns

Dinner was a disaster.

Allura refused to attend, so Coran took her meal to her before eating with everyone else.  Conversation was unnaturally stilted.  Shiro tried to keep things light, but no matter what he did, no one but Hunk and Keith were willing to engage.  Coran tried, but it never lasted for long.  Pidge kept an intent stare on Lotor, as if trying to dissect him, and Lance ate mechanically, eyes never lifting from his plate.  He didn’t ask for seconds.

Hunk watched him with a resigned frown.  He was going to have to figure this out.  He was not going to be the reason that the team fell apart, not when they’d come this far already.

When he finished his food, Lance wordlessly stood and left the room.  Coran pursed his lips but stood as well.  “Pidge, Hunk, I need your help in the engine room.  Shiro, will you keep an eye on Lotor?”

Shiro saluted.  “We’ll take care of the dishes.  Good luck getting us shipshape!”

He, Keith, and Lotor gathered up all the plates and utensils before disappearing into the kitchen.  Lotor hesitated in the doorway, eyes on Hunk.

“I’ll see you soon?”

Hunk smiled.  “Of course.  Thanks for taking care of the dishes.”

Lotor nodded, his shoulders relaxing.  Smiling a little now, he follow Keith and Shiro into the kitchen.  Pidge made an exaggerated gagging noise.  Hunk shot her an annoyed look.

Unrepentant, she smirked at him.  “That was the most disgusting display I have ever seen, and I have watched Lance moon over every girl this side of the galaxy.”

Coran laughed, if a little weakly, so Hunk decided to forgive her.  “He’s scared out of his mind, even if it doesn’t seem like it.  I got him into this.  Isn’t it my responsibility to make sure he doesn’t regret trusting me?”

Pidge’s smirk gentled.  “Well, now, Mr. Trust No One, finally coming around, are you?”  He shrugged, following Coran out of the room.  Pidge bumped her shoulder into him.  “So, do you _like_ him, then?”

Hunk faltered, looking down at her.  “What?”

“What?”  She shrugged.  “I’m going to interrogate Lotor later, and Coran is going to ask you about the serious stuff once we’re settled with the engine.  Plus, Lance has a lot to talk to you about as is.”  She crossed her arms behind her head, grinning.  “So, I’m taking care of this avenue.”

Hunk shook his head.  They had a bit of a walk left and Coran was clearly thinking hard about something several steps ahead of them.  “He’s not as bad as I thought he was.  He’s weird, but he isn’t evil.”

“That’s reassuring, but not what I asked and you know it.”  Pidge bumped him again.  “Come on, spill it.  Lotor is clearly head over heels for you, so do you reciprocate?  Even a little?”

Hunk kept his eyes forward.  Lotor _was_ handsome and surprisingly willing to change.  He seemed to love him, and he always appreciated Hunk’s company, _wanted_ it even.  It was hard to understate how nice that felt.

“I don’t know,” Hunk answered.  “I don’t hate him, and I don’t love him, but…  I think I could.”  He glanced down at Pidge.  She looked surprised.  “Satisfied?”

“Oh, definitely.”  She linked their arms together.  “I officially forgive you for keeping secrets.  Don’t do it again, okay?”

“Keeping secrets?”

Pidge shot him a _look_.  “You don’t actually expect me to believe that a handful of kidnappings were enough to change your mind?  I know you’ve run into him outside of missions, Hunk.  It’s obvious.”

Hunk sighed.  “I didn’t want to make anything of it if it turned out to be nothing.  And, well.”  Hunk frowned.  “That sort of thing never really came up, you know?  I figured I would tell people about it if I was asked, but I never was.”

Pidge matched his frown with one of her own.  “I’m sorry, Hunk.”  She leaned against him.  “I’ll try to pay more attention from now on.”

“Do you have any confessions to share, Miss Katie?” Hunk asked, teasing.  “Any crushes you want to tell me about?”

Pidge made a derisive noise.  “ _Obviously_ not.  I would never lower myself to such a waste of time.”  Even so, she smiled up at him, dropping the feigned pretention.  “You’ll be the first to know.”

Coran led the way into the engine room, methodically gathering the parts they’d need, clearly still thinking.  Luckily, he seemed content to focus on fixing the engine before dealing with any inter-personal issues, directing Hunk and Pidge through their designated tasks.  The process was involved, but thankfully easy enough to accomplish.

When they’d finished and were wiping the grease off their hands, Coran sighed heavily.  “I won’t keep you long.  I only have a few questions.”

Hunk nodded, sitting down across from him, resting his hands in his lap.  “I understand.  Take as long as you need.”

Coran sighed again, leaning back.  “You obviously trust him, or you wouldn’t have allowed him anywhere near the castle, but do you trust him with your life?  With _our_ lives?”

Hunk opened his mouth, but no sound came out.  How was he supposed to answer that?  “I trust him with my life,” he said slowly.  “And I trust him to keep his word.  He hasn’t lied to me.”  He bit his lip.  “I don’t know if I trust him with your lives, but… I do trust him.”

“For now,” Coran allowed.  “What happens if he’s been lying to you all this time?  What happens if this was all some elaborate ploy?”

Hunk frowned.  “I don’t think he’s been lying, but if he was…  If he has been lying to me the whole time…”  He looked down.  “I would stand aside.  I wouldn’t get in the way.  Whatever punishment you and Allura deem appropriate, I’ll accept.”  He met Coran’s eyes again.  “But until the day comes that he is proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, I’ll defend him.”

Pidge whistled lowly, and Coran raised his eyebrows.  Hunk felt his face heat.

“I suppose we can count on Pidge to help us verify his information,” Coran said, considering.  “And what do we do about the Galra?  We’re already a target, but now we have a traitor from within the empire itself.”

“We were already traitors to the empire,” Hunk said.  “What’s one more?”

Coran laughed under his breath, shaking his head.  “Alright, well, that about does it for me, I think.  As long as you keep an eye on him, and as long as he doesn’t bring us more trouble than he’s worth, I don’t see… too many problems with it.”

Hunk beamed, Pidge rested her hand on his shoulder, squeezing once and grinning down at him.  “Coran, thank you.  I know it’s a lot to ask, but…  Thank you.”

“You’re family, Hunk, and I trust you.”  Coran looked away, tugging at his moustache.  “And, well… I knew his parents, I expect.  If he’s anything like them, he’ll be an asset to the team.  Provided, of course, that he’s also not like them at all…”  He grimaced.  “Never mind.  Now, off with the two of you, I have work to do!  And I believe you’re needed elsewhere, Hunk.”

Hunk nodded quickly.  “Yep, thanks again!”

Pidge led the way out with a cheerful good bye and a wave.  When they were in the hallway, she shot him a curious look.

“What are you going to do about Lance?” she asked.  “I spoke to him earlier, and he’s… well, he’s definitely upset.”

Hunk sighed.  “Of course, he is.  I’ve never done anything like this before.”  He scrubbed a hand over his face.  “I’m going to break out my secret reserve,” he decided.

“ _What_?” Pidge gasped.  “ _Without_ me?”

He rolled his eyes.  “Don’t be so dramatic.  If you come with me, I’ll give you some to take with you.”

Pidge shot him a narrow look.  “Will I have to share with your boyfriend?”

“What?”  Hunk shook his head.  “No, of course not.  It’s yours.  Just don’t tell Keith or Shiro.”

“Deal.”  Pidge beamed, skipping toward his room.  “How much do you have left, anyway?”

“Only three bars.  We’ll have to make another stop when we’re in the right quadrant.”  He opened the door when they got to it, ushering her inside.

His room was small, but comfortable.  His bed had an overabundance of pillows and blankets, enough that it looked almost like a nest—perfect for late nights reading.  His desk was covered in papers and books, calculations pinned to the walls amidst photos of his friends and the sketch from Amreet.

He opened the bottom drawer of his dresser, rummaging around until his fingers met cool paper, smooth to the touch.  He pulled it out, showing it to Pidge.

“Is _that_ where you hide your chocolate?” she asked, disbelieving.  “How has no one stolen it yet?”

“You think that’s my only hiding place?” Hunk scoffed.  “I rotate locations, and one bar is hidden so well, that only I could possibly find it.”  He smirked.

It was hidden in a false book, one of his ‘favorite’ theoretical math texts.  None of them had any idea that it hid a hole, perfect for storing illicit materials.  And chocolate bars.  His only bar of dark chocolate was currently inside it, safe and sound.

“Incredible.”  She held out a hand.  “Now, gimme.  I need to keep up my strength if I’m going to interrogate your new boyfriend.”

“If you promise not to be too mean to him, I’ll give you a second row.”  Hunk raised an eyebrow, waving the chocolate bar at her, tempting.

Pidge licked her lips.  “You strike a hard bargain, Hunk.  But you’ve got yourself a deal.”  She took a deep breath and raised her right hand, her left settling on her hip so he could see she wasn’t crossing her fingers.  “I, Katie ‘Pidge Gunderson’ Holt, hereby swear not to be excessively mean to Lotor in my efforts to gain information from him.”

Hunk laughed, opening the wrapper and breaking off two rows.  Pidge whooped, jumping, before she darted off.  “Thanks, Hunk!  Good luck with Lance!”

Hunk waved.  When she was gone, he looked down at the remainder of his chocolate bar.  Lance, like Pidge, had long since eaten his last bar, so he’d appreciate the treat.  Still, Hunk had a feeling this wasn’t going to be enough chocolate for the kind of conversation they needed to have.  What they were likely going to talk about was a long time coming, he reminded himself.

Somehow, he didn’t find that reassuring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season four was honestly SUCH a treat! I can't wait for season five, tbh. ALSO, I've seen more people jumping on the Hunk/Lotor bandwagon! There's more art now!!! I almost can't believe it! (If any of you guys do anything with Hunk/Lotor, please send me a link, either through a comment, or through tumblr or twitter or whatever! I absolutely want to see it! <3)
> 
> Anyway, I've been working on a lot of different things, but I'm going to try to get the next chapter out within a week or two! Here's hoping!


	8. Reconciliation

“Come in,” Lance said from the other side of his door.  Hunk winced.  He even _sounded_ upset.  Lance was the baby of his family, and he had the pout to show for it.  Hunk was admittedly weak to it, but he told himself he was going to be strong this time.  He was going to say what needed to be said.

He opened the door.

Lance was sitting on his bed, kicking his feet.  Hunk pulled out his desk chair, sitting across from him.  “Do you want to start,” Hunk asked, “or should I?”

Lance sighed, looking up, puppy eyes in full force.  “I just want to know why you were keeping this from me.  I thought we didn’t have any secrets.”

“We don’t,” Hunk insisted.  “But we never talk anymore.  And when we do, you…”  Hunk bit his lip.  His mother's words rang in his head: Never blame the other person for miscommunication issues.  “I feel like you never hear me when I talk about what’s going on with me.”

Lance blinked.  “Of course I pay attention.”

Hunk frowned.  He still wasn't understanding what he meant.  “Okay, when we went planet-side time before last, and you ditched me to try to get a date, what did I end up doing?”  Hunk watched him, trying not to feel too hurt when Lance faltered.  When Shiro asked what he'd done about dinner, his answer had been interrupted, and he'd never gotten the chance to jump back in.  And, well, no one asked again.  “Would you like to guess?”

“Um, did you get dinner with that girl you were with?” he asked.

He shook his head.  “No, I got dinner with Lotor.”

Lance stood, eyes narrowing.  “You did _what_?  That was dangerous!”

“Uh-huh.”  Hunk gave him a flat look.  “I didn’t have anyone else to eat with, and Lotor was willing to talk about math with me.  Plus, it wasn’t like he was _armed_.  If he’d wanted to kidnap me again, he would have.”

Lance groaned, falling back onto his bed.  “ _Math_ , of course he got to you through _math_.”  He ran a distracted hand through his hair, one leg bouncing.  “If… If I had been with you…”

“I probably wouldn’t have run into him,” Hunk agreed.  “And math is _hardly_ the only reason he got through to me, Lance.  When he asks questions, he actually wants to know the answers.  He’s interested in me, and he _listens_.  All the time.  He remembers things I’ve told him, no matter how long ago the conversation was.”  Hunk sighed, slumping.  “He makes me feel like I matter, like I'm _important_.”

Lance flinched.  “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is getting passed over for some pretty girl every time I want to do something with you.”  Hunk scratched his cheek; that might have been too far.  “Look, Lance, I love you, you know I do, but you’ve been kind of a shitty friend lately.  I know you want a girlfriend, but I hate feeling like that’s more important to you than I am.  We’re supposed to be best friends.”

Lance winced.  “We are!  It’s just—”  He slumped.  “Is it so wrong to want someone to love me?”

“Of course not.”  Hunk raised an eyebrow.  “Is it wrong to want to feel appreciated every now and again?”

“Of course not.”  Lance looked away, sighing.  “I do appreciate you, Hunk, honest.”  Silence settled between them for a moment, but eventually Lance met Hunk’s eyes.  “Are you in love with him?”

“No, I’m not.  But I don’t think it’s impossible.”  Hunk smiled, trying not to let it look strained.  “If anything changes, I’ll tell you and Pidge as soon as I know.”  Lance nodded, looking unfairly dejected, all sad eyes and pouting lips.  Hunk touched his knee.  “And, maybe, we can all play video games together later?  Watch dumb movies?  Like we used to back at the Garrison?”

Lance gave him a considering look.  “We won’t have to have Lotor with us, will we?”

“Eventually I'd like to include him on occasion, but no.  If you don’t want him there, he won’t be.”  Hunk smiled again, hesitant.  “Does that mean we can hang out more often?  Let everything go back to normal?”

“Yeah, dude, of course.”  Lance grinned.  “You’re my best friend.  And, well, I’ve missed you.”  Hunk beamed as he stood and pulled him into a tight hug, spinning them both around.  Lance laughed, a little breathless.  When they came to a stop, Lance leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve been an idiot.”

Hunk gave him a firm squeeze.  “Apology accepted.”

After a long silence, Lance pulled back to look at him.  “Did I see chocolate in your hands?”

Hunk laughed, pulling the bar out.  “It’s a bribe.”

“There’s already some missing,” Lance noted.  “Did you have to bribe Pidge, too?”

“Always.”  He should probably leave soon to check on Lotor, but…  “Do you want to play that game you got?  It’s multiplayer, right?”

Lance beamed, quick to bounce back.  “You bet.  And while we play, you need to tell me _everything._   I want to know what I’ve been missing out on.”

Hunk grinned.  “Sounds fair.  And I can give you advice on your crush on Allura.”

Lance spluttered, turning away to hide his blush.  Hunk decided not to tell him that his blush always reached the tips of his ears, giving him away.  “What crush?  I’m totally not crushing on the princess, Hunk, you must be imagining things.”

“Uh-huh.  You’re ridiculously obvious about it.  Like, that one time a dignitary started flirting with her?  You got that jealous glare you like to pretend you don’t have.”  Hunk nudged his side.  “It was _adorable_.”

“I was just trying to protect her!  We’re friends!” he protested.  “I _used_ to have a crush on the princess, but it’s _totally gone now._ ”

“Uh-huh.”  Hunk smirked.  “What about that time Allura got that new dress?  You were tongue-tied for the rest of the day, and you couldn’t take your eyes off her.”

Lance groaned and flopped dramatically onto the ground.  “Fine, fine, I _give,_ I give.  What’s your advice?”

“She thinks you’re a goofball and a flirt—which you are—so you need to show her you can take things seriously sometimes.”  Hunk lay down on the ground beside him.  “You should probably stop skirt chasing if you’re serious about her, by the way.  And I’m not just saying that because I want to spend more time planet-side with you.”  He grinned at him.  Lance snorted.

“Ugh, whatever, let’s just play the game already, before you have to go fetch your new _boyfriend_ ,” Lance said, waggling his eyebrows.

Hunk shoved him, but he was already laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A week or two" lol Never listen to me. I had most of this written within that time frame, but it wasn't up to snuff. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I think it's about time we moved on. If anyone has any comment on the conflict of this chapter, I'd be happy to hear it. This sort of thing is one of my weak points as a writer, so I'm always looking to improve.
> 
> As always, thank you for your patience! Next chapter, Lotor will be back! Hopefully not TOO traumatized by his time with the other paladins. ;D


End file.
